In Your Dreams: Chapter 60

It was amazing how a simple four word question could change everything so completely. It had been only an hour since Vegeta had proposed to his mate, but since then the younger man hadn't been able to stop smiling or walk without that bounce in his step. The prince's only regret now was that he hadn't asked sooner.

After a long walk back to Capsule Corp, one Vegeta spent in virtual silence as Goku babbled on excitedly beside him, the younger Saiyajin had dashed ahead of him and into the building they'd come to call home. The prince found himself pausing on the doorstep as a series of voices inside the complex suddenly squealed, and the resulting shiver had barely reached the tip of his tail before the door in front of him was slung open and he found himself tackled by a group of women.

Limbs were flying everywhere as Vegeta and his attackers fell backward into the lawn, and the Saiyajin found himself struggling to keep his temper under control as several question were thrown at him at once.

''Why didn't you tell us you were going to propose today?''

''Can you do it again so I can take a video?''

''Have you told anyone else yet?''

''Did you pick a date?''

''SHUT UP!''

Vegeta growled low in his throat as he hauled himself into a sitting position and pushed the others off of him. His annoyance did nothing to wipe the smiles from Bulma, Bura, and Pan's faces, and that only annoyed him more. The prince glowered at them for a moment before shifting his gaze to Goku, who was standing in the doorway. The younger man only gave him a crooked smile and a small shrug.

''Get away from me, you screeching harpies!'' Vegeta spat as he pushed himself back to his feet and brushed the stray pieces of grass from his clothes. His audience, thankfully, fell silent, though they all continued to wear those silly grins. The prince could feel his face heating up under their intense scrutiny, and he snorted in an attempt to cover up his discomfort and moved past them to the door. He shot Goku a withering glare, which also failed to wipe the smile off his mate's face, before turning his head back toward the women.

''I didn't tell anyone because I didn't even know myself, and no to the other three questions. Now no one bother us for the remainder of the day!''

Before a single protest could be uttered, Vegeta grabbed Goku's wrist and pulled the other Saiyajin into the house and up the stairs to their bedroom, leaving the giggling women bouncing on the lawn in excitement.

--------------------------------------------

''You just couldn't help yourself, could you?'' Vegeta mumbled as he tossed his mate into their room and closed the door loudly behind them.

Goku bounced across the floor on one foot for several steps before he was able to stop his forward momentum, and he spun on the ball of his foot before lowering the other to the floor to face the other man. The smile still hadn't left his lips.

''No, I couldn't help myself.''

The prince stared at the younger man for a long moment, expecting more of an excuse, but when it became clear that there wouldn't be one, he sighed and shook his head, eventually chuckling under his breath. Goku was standing there with his hands on his hips, beaming back at him and wagging his tail behind him like a happy dog. How was he supposed to stay annoyed with that?

''Baka.''

The old insult did nothing but brighten Goku's smile, and the younger Saiyajin followed Vegeta to the bed as the prince sat down on the mattress and tugged off his shoes. The smaller man kicked off his own before hopping onto the bed himself, and he sat on his knees beside his mate as the older Saiyajin fell backwards into the sheets with a huff.

''.....Vegeta.''

Having closed his eyes in an attempt to soothe the tension he felt building in his head, Vegeta's brow twitched in annoyance as he cracked open one lid to acknowledge the other, who was looking down at him with a suddenly serious expression. A brief flare of concern prompted the prince to open the other eye, and he frowned.

''What is it?''

For a long moment Goku was silent, and his brows were furrowed as he thought to himself. Finally his eyes moved back to meet Vegeta's. ''....Do....do you think there's someone who can make a cake big enough for a family of Saiyajins?''

''..........''

Vegeta stared at the younger man for a long and silent moment before that tension suddenly returned with a vengeance. The prince reached up and placed his fingers along his temples, rubbing soothing circles along the flesh as he mumbled nearly silent curses to himself.

Goku misinterpreted Vegeta's action for the same concern he was feeling about the cake situation, and he nodded and folded his arms over his chest as he settled himself more comfortably on the bed.

''I know! It's going to be a problem! We might have to get two or three cakes...''

''.........Baka....''

----------------------------------------------

Word of the upcoming wedding spread quickly, and by the next morning, Capsule Corp was flooded with both shocked and thrilled family members and friends. ChiChi, Bulma, Bura, and Pan had taken it upon themselves to arrange the entire event, not that Vegeta cared too much. He wasn't interested in the details; he just wanted everything to go smoothly so he and his mate could finally get on with their lives.

Goku's sons, while obviously shocked at the news, eventually gave their approval and actually began to get just as excited about planning the event as the women were. Vegeta, though rolling his eyes at their actions on the outside, was secretly pleased and somewhat relieved the two brats were ok with the situation. The last thing we wanted was for Kakarotto to feel guilty that his sons weren't as happy as he was.

No, at the moment Vegeta biggest annoyance was Piccolo, who had been sparring with Gohan when the demi-Saiyajin had heard the news. Naturally he had to come along if for nothing else but to mock him.

And mock him he did.

The Namekian had been grinning at him constantly from the moment he'd arrived, and though his expression seemed neutral enough to the untrained eye, Vegeta could clearly see the mischievous glint in the green man's eyes. Likewise, Piccolo could see the vein in the prince's forehead throbbing just as clearly, and it only proved to amuse him further.

After nearly a half hour of the silent mockery, Piccolo finally pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning against and crossed the room, taking care to avoid the mass of females that were also occupying the space. The low growl that rumbled from Vegeta's throat the moment the larger man's cape brushed against him only brought a small bubble of laughter from the Namekian's throat.

''....So....Someone finally managed to domesticate you. How'd he do it?''

Vegeta's mouth turned upward in an amused grin, and he regarded Piccolo from the corner of his eye. ''Really good sex.''

This time it was the prince who laughed when the green man's smirk turned into a frown, followed by the appearance of a slight purplish haze across his cheekbones. For a long moment Piccolo seemed at a loss for words, but with a strange sound that seemed to be a cross between a cough and a growl, he spoke again.

''Listen, half-pint, you better be doing this for all the right reasons.''

A long moment without words passed between the two warriors, and finally Vegeta turned his head to regard the other man with a serious expression. Though it was left unsaid, there was an obvious threat tacked onto the end of that statement. Ordinarily the prince would have knocked the teeth out of the Namekian's mouth for being so bold, but this time he restrained himself. He'd known for a long time that Piccolo cared for Kakarotto a little more than a friend should, and hard-ass or not, Vegeta was not one to mock him for that.

The prince folded his arms over his chest and turned his eyes back to the crowd that busied themselves with the wedding plans. He spoke in a low voice as to not be overheard.

''You have nothing to be concerned about. This is for Kakarotto and Kakarotto only. Personally I think the whole thing is absurd, but if this human custom is what he needs to truly feel secure within our bond, then I'm willing to suffer through it.''

Steely black eyes regarded the smaller man briefly before Piccolo gave a slight nod of approval. He was just turning to walk away when the other spoke again.

''Piccolo.''

The Namekian paused and glanced over his shoulder. The prince, though still looking straight ahead of him, was scowling.

''Never threaten me again; not unless you wish to keep your limbs intact.''

Several seconds past in silence before they each grinned.

---------------------------------------------------

Two days later it was time to return to the tailor to have Goku fitted for his custom-made uniform. The perky Saiyajin had yet to see the design, and he was excited to see what it was he'd be wearing.

Vegeta had nearly choked when his mate had announced that he refused to wear a dress out of the blue the night before at dinner, and after a long and awkward pause, everyone at the table had burst into a fit of laughter, much to Goku's annoyance. It wasn't until everyone had had a chance to catch their breath that they were able to explain that no one would be wearing a dress, but instead traditional Saiyajin ceremonial attire. Vegeta, of course, had had to alter his mate's design to suit the occasion because marriages did not exist on Veget-sei; not in this sense of the word anyway. The prince only hoped the younger man would not be disappointed.

A shrill scream brought Vegeta out of his musings, and he paused at the door of the shop and glanced over his shoulder. He smirked at the sight of Goku wincing with one finger in the ear that had just been assaulted by his daughter's powerful lungs. The gurgling chibi squirmed in the cradle her mother's arm created around her as she reached up in an attempt to grab a fistful of hair. The child seemed to have developed a fascination with the stuff, and she took every opportunity she could get to touch it.

''Control your brat and hurry up, Kakarotto. We're late.''

Goku frowned and strode into the store when Vegeta opened the door, and the moment they were inside he thrust the child into the prince's arms.

''You hold her for awhile.''

The prince was given no time to argue before the tailor he'd been working with rushed over with a smile, greeting Goku with a handshake and nodding to Vegeta.

''Welcome, gentlemen. I think you'll be pleased to know the design is nearly complete. Only the sizing and a few details are left.''

''Good. Let's do this as quickly as possible.'' Vegeta grunted as Momoku once again squealed and grabbed his nose, squeezing it in her small fingers. The action brought amused expressions to everyone's face except for the unfortunate victim, whose glare had employees quickly averting their eyes.

The tailor chuckled nervously and wiped away the sweat that had formed on his forehead as a result of the deadly glare, and he quickly ushered Goku into another room to try on the clothes.

''It'll only be a moment, sir.''

Vegeta rolled his eyes and waved the overly friendly man away, and the human quickly disappeared into the room behind his mate. For several long minutes the prince silently endured his daughter's curious prodding and poking, accompanied by the occasional shout. Her lungs were obviously very healthy, as was her determination to get a hold of his hair. Fortunately her arms were too short to reach their intended target from where he held her, and just before the brat began to wail her displeasure, Kakarotto re-emerged from the room he'd disappeared in.

Both he and Momoku paused to stare.

Vegeta eyes traveled first to the low heeled white boots that were trimmed in silver and traveled to just below the knee. Shapely toned legs were encased in a light slate blue material that clung to the skin like spandex, but was thicker to the touch. A white light-weight fabric fell from his waist to mid-thigh in the front, and to the back of his knees in the rear. The material, like the boots, was trimmed in silver, and a simple but detailed pattern had been sewn along the trimming in a shimmering metallic thread. Encasing Goku's torso was the same flexible armor any Saiyajin wore into battle, though this piece was trimmed in the same color as his pants, and it drew attention down to a large stone that sat over his mate's stomach. The jewel represented their daughter and his mate's extraordinary ability to bear children, and it was a detail Vegeta quickly found himself admiring the most. A silver belt sat loosely around his hips, higher on one side than the other. White fabric covered the Saiyajin's arms from the top of his hand to mid-bicep, and instead of a cape, Vegeta had opted for a double sided fabric that wrapped around his mate's neck and fell in two long ribbons along his back, stopping only a foot shy of the ground.

All in all, the image was breathtaking.

Goku smiled when the prince's eyes finally stopped wandering over his form and met his own eyes instead.

''What do you think?'' he asked as he followed the tailor over to a three paneled mirror and hopped up on the platform there. ''Pretty cool, huh?''

Vegeta watched as the younger man turned from side to side, looking over his shoulder and turning so he could see himself from all angles. His lips turned upward in a grin, and he silently shook his head. Kakarotto never seemed to understand just how attractive he was.

''Yes, Kakarotto....cool.''

It was several more minutes before they could get Goku to stand still long enough to take his measurements. Vegeta had given the tailor rough estimates on his mate's size, and based on what he saw, he's been pretty close. There only seemed to be minor adjustments that needed to be made. Luckily the man worked quickly. The prince didn't fail to catch the way Goku fidgeted whenever the tailor touched him while measuring, or the way he jerked his tail into a position that kept it as far away from the man as possible. Most people wouldn't have noticed, but he knew his mate well.

''Alright, I have what I need. You can go change now.''

Goku immediately hopped down and disappeared into the backroom, and Vegeta turned his attention back to the tailor as he scribbled down a few notes on his clipboard and smiled.

''I should have the completed garment ready in three days.''

------------------------------------------------------------

Vegeta was pleased to notice that since his proposal, Kakarotto seemed to be spending a little more time with Momoku. He fed her without having to be reminded, and he was more attentive whenever she cried for attention. Even at bedtime, rather than lay her down in the crib and walk out, he stayed and gently rubbed the infant's back until she drifted off to sleep. As a result of the extra attention, Momoku seemed less fussy than she'd been before, and even seemed to prefer her mother's attention over his own.

Ungrateful brat.

Regardless, the relationship still wasn't what it should be, but it was improving a little more each day. This was an encouraging sign that this wedding was what Kakarotto really needed mentally to make their mating official. Personally Vegeta didn't understand it, but he no longer questioned it. There was no point.

In a few more days their bond would be official, both in Saiyajin and human standards. And then...

Vegeta smirked.

And then, he'd give Kakarotto a honeymoon he'd never forget.

To be continue...